Venetian blind



June 24, 1941. w. J. STUBER VENETIAN BLIND- 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 6, 1940 June 24, 1941. w, J, STUBER VENETIAN BLIND Filed March 6, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented June 24, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VENETIAN BLIND Walter J. Stuber, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to Carey-McFall Company,

Philadelphia, Pa., a

corporation of Pennsylvania Application March 6, 1940, Serial No. 322,604

5 Claim.

The object of the present invention is to provide a single tilting mechanism, head rail and head casing which will accommodate any one. of the three different slat widths, without change.

The construction and operation of the tilting mechanism constituting the subject matter of the present invention will be fully disclosed here inafter, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, of which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation 01' the blind with the top and front plates of the head casing removed, and with a portion of the head rail shown in section, for the purpose of clarity;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken on the line 22, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken on the line 33, Fig. 1;

Figs. 4, 5 and to Fig. 3; and

Figs. 7 and 8 are detached perspective views of parts of the tilting mechanis i The head casing is fully shown and described in a divisional application, which resulted in the issuance of United States Patent No. 2,220,796, dated November 5, 1940.

As shown in said patent, and in Fig. 1 of the present case, the head casing A includes a pair 01 end brackets I, I, each of which is provided with a bottom horizontal flange 4 for supporting the opposite ends respectively of the head rail ID. The head rail I is of angular cross-sectional construction and includes a horizontal bottom plate I! on which is mounted the tilting mechanism of the blind.

The blind, as usual, ladder tapes which support the slats and the hot- 6 are transverse sections similar at any desired elevation.

The cord-locking mechanism is fully shown and described in a copending divisional application Serial No. 342,345, filed June 25, 1940.

The bottom plate l2 of the head rail ID inwardly from each of the opposite ends thereof, is provided with laterally elongated front slots 43 and corresponding lateral elongated back slots 44 of a length to accommodate the width of the front and back tapes 46 and 41 respectivelyof the ladder tapes 45, 45 of the blind. Intermediate the slots 43 and 44 solid portions 48 of the bottom plate l2 support U shaped brackets 50 The upper end of each leg of the U shaped bracket 50 is bent in the form of a. segment of a circle about a common center 2:, the

" 54 of rocker elements 55, each of which is pro- .vided with end arms 56 extending inwardly from the opposite ends respectively of the body plate in which the tape slots 53 and 54 are formed. coincidental with the center a: the arms 56, 56 are provided with square openings 58, 58 for the reception of a tilt shaft The opposite ends directly supported by of the tilt shaft 60 are inbrackets 6| and 62 secured to and promoting upwardly from the bottom plate I! of the head rail l0. Intermediate its opgposite ends the tilt shaft 60 is supported by a bracket 63, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, said br k et 63 being secured to the bottom plate ll of port of the shaft Gil.

Rotatably mounted in the-bracket 6| is a worm 66 which is secured to a shaft Blsupported by bearings 68, 58 carried by the bracket SI. On the outer end of the shaft-61 is a rope or ball chain sheave 69 in the peripheral grooved edge is mounted a tilting rope or chain 10. The worm 66 intermeshes with the teeth H of one end of the tilt shaft 60. Slidably mounted in the opposite end of the hollow square shaft is a trunnion 80, which may be moved axially of 50 and within the hollow square shaft 60. The trunnion is adapted to be projected into a respect to-the square shaft 50. A cotter-pin 84 passing transversely through the square shaft 60 forms an abutment for the inner end of the trunnion 80 for retaining said trunnion in pivotal engagement with the housing 82.

The cotter pin 84 may be readily removed from the shaft 60' to permit the trunnion 80 to be moved axially into said shaft to release the outer end of the trunnion from its bearing opening in the housing 82, whereupon said shaft may be moved axially to remove its opposite end from the supporting section ll in the worm wheel 12, whereupon the shaft 60 with the rockers 55, 55 thereon may be raised upwardly out of the U shaped bearing opening 64 in the bracket 63 and through the openings 85 formed between the ends of the segmental extensions and 52 of the legs of the U shaped brackets 50. This construction provides for readily assembling and disassembling of the tilt shaft with respect to the head rail. The rockers 55, 55 are slidable with respect to and axially of the square shaft 60 with the legs 56, 56 of each rocker disposed at opposite ends respectively of the brackets 50, the brackets 50 maintaining alignment of the rockers with the tape openings 43 and 44 in the bottom plate |2 of the head rail ID for further facilitating assembling and disassembling of the elements while insuring proper alignment of the rockers with the tape openings during operation of the blind.

Normally Venetian blinds for general use are made with slats of three different widths, for example, some blinds are provided with 'slats having a width of 1% inches, others with slats 2 inches wide, while others are pro 'ded with slats 2% inches wide. These dimensions are given as a matter of example and are not to be considered as placing any limitation on the size of slats which may be used with the structure of the present blind. Heretofore it has been customaryto provide head rails, casings,,and tilting mechanism of three different sizes to agree respectively with the diiferent sizes of slats .to be used. This required difierent dies, etc. for manufacturing the elements of different sizes. The present invention makes it possible to use any one of the three diiferent sized slats with one and the same size of head structure, whereby but one size of head structure is all that is necessary to make and maintain in stock, which is a material advantage to the manufacturer as well as the jobber and retailer, which latter may keep in stock slat-s of the different sizes to be employed with the head structure of but one size.

As a matter of illustration, Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate the use of the 1% inch slats and show the blind in the maximum open and maximum closed position, i. e. with the slats of Fig. 3 in a horizontal or open position, while Fig. 4 illustrates the tilting mechanism as having been operated to tilt the slats into the fully closed position. Fig. 5 shows a blind with the smallest sized slats in the fully open position, while Fig. 6 illustrates the narrow slats in the'fully closed position with the tilting mechanism having been operated to the same extent as the tilting mechanism in Fig. 4.

As shown in Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6 the tapes 46 and 41 in extending from the uppermost slat of the blind through the slots 43 and 44 to the rocker 55 bear against the outer surfaces of the segmental ends 5| and 52 of the brackets 50 as shown in Figs. 3 and 5. When the shaft 60 is rocked by operation of the tilt rope or chain 10 the rockers 53 pivot about the center a: and release one of the tapes 46 or 41, as the case may be, completely from the segment 5| or 52, as the case may be, leaving said tape slack and thereby permitting the edges of the slats adjacent said tape to drop freely, as shown in Figs. 4 and 6, while the opposite tape 46 or 41, as the case may be, is drawn around the segment against which it normally rests, across the opening 85 between the ends of the segments 5| and 52, and into contact with and around the second segment, thereby pulling upwardly on that particular tape and causing the edges of the slats lying adjacent thereto to be raised as shown in Figs. 4 and 6. The substantially complete circle provided by the segments 5| and 52 compensates for the difference in widths of the slats and makes it possible to use one size of rocker for any of the diiferent sizes of slats that may be desired and requires but a slight difference in degree of rocking of the shaft 60 to bring the slats of any of the different sizes from the fully opened to the fully closed position.

The lower ends of the ladder tapes 45, 45 are secured to a bottom rail 90 in the usual manner and the slats 9|, 9| are supported in spaced relation to each other along the tapes 45, 45 by the usual cross tapes 92. Each slat 9| is provided with a transverse slot 93 for passage of an elevating cord 94 which, as usual, is also secured at one of its ends to the bottom rail 90. The elevating cords 94 pass upwardly through the slots 93 in the slats 9| subtsantially midway between the opposite longitudinal edges of the ladder tapes 45 to be substantially hidden from view by said ladder tapes. The elevating cords 94 then pass upwardly through aligned openings 96 and 91 formed in the solid portions 48 of the bottom plate l2 of the head rail I0 and the base portion 98 of each bracket 50 to a roller or wheel 99 which is rotatably mounted between the legs of the U shaped brackets 50, as clearly shown in Figs. 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6. From the rollers 99 the elevating cord-s 94 pass horizontally to and under a roller I00 which is rotatably mounted in a housing 82 carried by the bracket 62. From the roller I00 the elevating cords pass through the locking mechanism, below which the cords 94 are joined the periphery of a roller |0| which is rotatably mounted on a shaft I02 having its ends secured in extensions or legs I03 of a U shaped bracket I04 carried by the bracket 62. From the roller |0| the cords 94, 94 extend downwardly through formed in the bottom plate l2 of the head rail ID to be joined together at their lower ends in a common tassel or handle I06, whereby raising and lowering of said tassel will effect corresponding lowering and raising of the bottom rail and the slats 9|.

I claim:

1'. A Venetian blind comprising a tilt shaft, rockers in axially spaced relation on said shaft, each rocker comprising a ladder tape attachment plate spaced radially from said shaft with its longitudinal axis parallel to said shaft axis, said tapes being connected to said plate on lines parallel to and spaced laterally from said plate axis, a pair of supporting arms for each attachment plate mounted on said shaft in axially spaced relation to each other, and a fixed ladder tape guide between each said pair of arms and comprising a substantially'cylindrical portion approximately concentric to said shaft axis and having a diameter greater than said lateral spacing of said tape connections.

an opening I05 parallel to said shaft said leg portions 2. A Venetian blind comprising a tilt shaft,

rockers in axially spaced relation on said shaft,

. eter greater than said lateral spacing of said tape connections, and leg portions below said cylindrical portion, and slat elevating rope pulleys rotatably mounted between said leg portions below said tilt shaft.

3. A Venetian blind comprising a head rail, brackets carried by said head rail, a tilt shaft removably supported by said brackets, rockers in axially spaced relation on said shaft, each rocker comprising a ladder tape attachment plate spaced radially from said shaft with its longitudinal axis axis, said tapes being conon lines parallel to and spaced laterally from said plate axis, a pair of supporting arms for each attachment plate mounted on said shaft in axially spaced relation to each other, a fixed ladder tape guide between each said pair of arms and comprising a substantially cylindrical portion approximately concentric to said shaft axis and having a diameter greater than said lateral spacing of said tape connections, leg portions below said cylindrical portion, and slat elevating rope pulleys rotatably mounted between said leg portions below said tilt shaft and secured to said head rail, said head rail being slotted at each side of said leg portion from outwardly to an extent at least as great as the diameter of said cylindrical portion for passage of said ladder tapes through said head rail.

4. A Venetian blind comprising a head rail, brackets carried by said head rail, a tilt shaft renected to said plate 3 movably supported by said brackets, rockers in axially spaced relation on said shaft, each rocker comprising a ladder tape attachment plate spaced radially from said shaft with its longitudinal axis parallel to said shaft axis, said tapes being connected to said plate on lines parallel to and spaced laterally from said plate axis, a pair of supporting arms for each attachment plate mounted on said shaft in axially spaced relation to each other, a fixed ladder tape guide between each said pair of arms and comprising a substantially cylindrical portion approximately concentric to said shaft axis and having a diameter greater than said lateral spacing of said tape connections, and leg portions below said cylindrical portion secured to said head rail, said cylindrical portion being slotted in its upper side to permit passage of said shaft when being removed from and replaced in its said supporting brackets.

5. A Venetian blind comprising a head rail, brackets carried by said head rail, a tilt shaft removably supported by said brackets, rockers in axially spaced relation on said shaft, each rocker comprising a ladder tape attachment plate spaced radially from said shaft with its longitudinal axis parallel to said shaft axis, said tapes being con nected to said plate on lines parallel to and spaced laterally from said plate axis, a pair of supporting arms for each attachment plate mounted on said shaft in axially spaced relation to each other, a fixed ladder tape guide between each said pair of arms and comprising a substantially cylindrical portion approximately concentric to said shaft axis and having a diameter greater than said lateral spacing of said tape connections, and leg portions below said cylindrical portion secured to said head rail, said cylindrical portion being slotted in its upper side to permit passage of said shaft when being removed from and replaced in its said supporting brackets, said rocker arm being splined to said tilt shaft and movable axially therealong for automatically aligning said rockers with said fixed guides during replacement of said shaft in its said supporting brackets.

, WALTER J. STUBER. 

